US state police chief punished over NFL protest criticism

LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 15: Eli Harold #57, Arik Armstead #91 and K’Waun Williams #24 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel during the National Anthem before a game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. Joe Robbins/Getty Images/AFP

The governor of Michigan punished his police chief Thursday over a Facebook post calling football players who protest by refusing to stand during the national anthem “anti-American degenerates.”

The midwestern state’s top cop Kriste Etue last month waded into a public spat between US President Donald Trump and NFL players who kneel during the anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality.